Hey Harry, F'Crying Out Loud -- It Is a Wonderful Life ... Sorta
Hey Harry, F'Crying Out Loud -- It Is a Wonderful Life ... Sorta was the 18th episode of Season 8 of Night Court, the 165th overall episode in the series. Written by Alison Rosenfeld-Desmarais, the episode, directed by Tim Steele, originally aired on NBC-TV on February 27, 1991. Synopsis An angel appears in the guise of Mel Tormé to show Harry how dismal the courtroom would be if he'd never been born, especially with Dan as the corrupt judge in charge.. Storyline Harry loses all interest in life after Margaret leaves him. An angel named Herb (in the shape of Mel Torme) shows him what life would be like in the court without him: Dan is a rich and corrupt judge, Bull is his stooge candidate for mayor, prosecutor Mac (who's miserable, divorced and battling a bad gastric ulcer) and Christine (who long ago threw away her high ideals in working in Dan's corrupt court) are the beaten-down court attorneys, and Roz (who's not employed in the court as a bailiff) goes to prison for resisting one of Dan's business enterprises. Everything, the court building, the cafetria, now fuctioning, at Judge Fielding's control as a nightclub/casino (you need to know the passwoArd to enter) is black/white like a 1930s/40s classic Hollywood film such as The Maltese Falcon, or the Cagney films such as The Roaring Twenties or Angels with Dirty Faces for, as Herb tells harry, "to prove his point". When Harry sees Dan seduce a now clearly corrupted Christine, who, at first threatened to take his corrupt organiztion down, who then would engage with Dan in a torrid liplock (she tells Dan, I hate You! I Hate You -- I "love" you!, as she melts at his lecherous charms), it's the last straw for him -- he's seen enough, he chooses to live again, and the angel Herb sends him on his way, back to what's now again hischambers --- with a rousing performance of "Start All Over Again." Did You Know? Trivia The title refers to the 1946 Frank Capra Christmas holiday filn noir classic It's a Wonderful Life. Connections ;References *'The Price Is Right' (TV game show) - Dan: - "Miss Wagner, who's our next contestant on If The Price is Right?" *''The Omen'' (1976 film) - Harry: "Damien? (when finding out through herb, his "guardian angel", that Dan has a wife and son, whose name is Damien when he sees a picture of the family in his chambers in his dream) As in..." Herb: "The Antichrist!" Soundtracks ;Soundtrack Credits *''Pick Yourself Up '' (uncredited) - Written by Dorothy Fields, performed by Mel Tormé (as Guardian Angel Herb) *''Auld Lang Syne '' (uncredited) - Insturmental Cast (in credits order) Starring *Harry Anderson as Harold T. Stone *Charles Robinson as Mac Robinson *John Larroquette as Dan Fielding *Markie Post as Christine Sullivan *Richard Moll as Bull Shannon *Marsha Warfield as Roz Russell Recurring cast and characters/Guest stars *S. Marc Jordan as Jack Griffin *Joleen Lutz as Lisette Hocheiser *Mike Finneran as Art Fensterma *Sharon Lee Jones as Miss Wagner, the Court Clerk *Randi and Candi Brough as The Buxom Bailiffs *Thom Rachford as Mr. Arnovitz *Richard Morof as Shifty Guy *Mel Tormé as Herb/Himself *Dorothy Andrews as Cashier (uncredited) Category:Season 8 episodes Category:Episodes